Curiosity
by EbonyShroud
Summary: Simple, she thought. She should have remembered that just because it seemed simple to think about, it did not mean it would go according to plan...


Humiliating.

This has to be one of the most humiliating experiences of her life. Although, she thought in mild annoyance, it can easily get so much worse.

He could wake up.

It was supposed to be simple, although now looking back on it Faelin wondered why she thought her plan was simple at all. She had gone up the mountain to say hello to the Greybeards and see if Arngeir could tell her of the location of another Word of Power. After checking up on them and learning the new location, she thought it would be nice to continue her trek up the mountain to talk to Paarthurnax and to meditate with the older dragon. It was at the very top of the mountain, next to a crumbling old word wall, that she discovered that mighty and powerful dovah were not so above the 'Joor'.

Paarthurnax was asleep, curled up against the word wall like a docile kitten basking in front of a warm hearth. Seeing the elder dragon so at peace in the frigid cold of the Roof of the World was what spawned the infernal idea. The idea, of course, was to pet him and see what dragons actually feel like.

She never really knew what a living dragon felt like, despite having killed many dragons since that horrible day at Helgen when she was captured with the Stormcloaks. The scales she did receive after the trials it took to kill it were cold and lifeless, losing its color and fading to a murky but still interesting color almost immediately after falling off the dragon's corpse. It also didn't help that the rest of the dragon disintegrates into its soul before being able to be touched, as if the dragon was spiting the mortals and making sure it could only see the dry remains and a minuscule reward of scales and bones. And when it was alive, well, it's not like you can easily go up and hug it. A raging dragon would breathe fire, or ice, or gnash at its victims with large and absurdly sharp teeth. She had never been able to paralyze it, or quiet it down long enough for her to touch it, so it seemed that taking a small advantage of Paarthurnax's relaxed slumber was a good idea.

And then it seems that good ol' Clavicus Vile heard her wish and granted it in the worst way possible.

After quietly approaching the elder dragon and being careful enough not to wake him, she reached out and laid both hands on his slumbering form. She froze in amazement, hardly believing she was actually doing what she was doing. Then Paarthurnax shifted to his side for a more comfortable position and before she could realize it, his outstretched wing swept in, sweeping her off of her feet and trapping her against the older dova. She got her wish, much to her horror, but now she did not know how to get out without some sort of help.

It is not like she didn't try to free herself, she did try. She tried squirming and pushing the forearm away in hopes of freeing her lower half from the hold, but the grip on her was strong and she remained put. Her legs were just as useless, she could not reach anything to try and use them to push away the large wing. She thought about waking up Paarthurnax, but she had a feeling that he would not be very appreciative of being woken from a nap by a small idiotic and rather tasty-looking dovahkiin. She could not even reach her pack, which sat innocently where she dropped it. That happened to be a meter away, close enough to be seen but not close enough for even her telekinesis spell to reach.

"What to do, what to do…" Faelin muttered. She tried to think, although it was difficult to do so. Her position had her resting against Paarthurnax's side, where she could feel the beat of his heart through his warm scales. It was both unnerving and soothing to hear.

"It is true that you cannot think with loud noises nearby," she grumbled, raising her voice slightly. As if in response, Paarthurnax's head turned slightly and she was hit with a blast of hot bad-smelling breath. She gagged and ducked her head down, trying not to smell the breath. She hadn't noticed it when speaking to him before, then again she had never been held by him or in such close quarters. The reek was bad enough that she could taste it, making any appetite she had vanish in almost an instant.

"Oh Nine Divines…." she groaned. Ignoring another long blast of hot air from the sleeping dragon, she squirmed to see out to the empty mountain top and raised her arm. Muttering a quiet spell, she made a hasty decision and summoned the strongest daedra she could summon. Despite her efforts at being quiet, the daedra arrived in a blast of fire and dark summoner's smoke. She glanced up nervously, but the dragon seemed to not have noticed it. He merely shifted his head again, freeing Faelin of the wretched stench of his breath. She sighed in relief before looking at the daedra, a small but beautiful-looking flame atronach.

"Flame atronach, you need to help me get free," Faelin said slowly, hoping the daedra could understand her. The flame atronach stared blankly back at her as best as it could, not comprehending the order. Faelin repeated it again and the daedra figured it out. It raised its hand and a fireball formed.

"No! Not that sort of free! You cannot attack!" Faelin quickly said, hoping to rectify the mistake before she was accidentally set on fire and had a mad dragon on her hands. The flame atronach stopped, confused at the sudden change of orders. It tilted its head and glared at her, trying to figure out what it did wrong.

"Gods, this is gonna be worse than when you started attacking those hunters instead of the troll," Faelin groaned. The flame atronach started in surprise, recognizing the word troll. It made a quick judgment and decided that the dragon holding her was obviously not the problem. The daedra, thinking it now had to look for a troll to kill, rushed off the mountainside as its conjurer watched.

"…That's it. I need a new flame atronach," she said finally, after staring off the cliff that the flame atronach had leapt off of in shock and annoyance. With that, she realized that she was doomed to be caught red-handed. Unless a miracle came her way, and given how her day has gone it was highly unlikely to happen, she was going to have to wait for the elder dragon to wake up from his nap and explain herself. She could only hope that he would see reason not to turn her into a snack.

* * *

The sun, which had been climbing into the sky when she first got herself into the predicament she was in, was just starting to set when her rescue arrived. She had long given up on rescue by then, too fatigued by hunger and dozing off to the rhythmic sound of Paarthurnax's heartbeat. She did not hear her name called out, but realized something was going on when she felt a rumble that was not a heartbeat or the intake and output of air. She glanced around and started in surprise and terror, spotting several odd human-like shapes. As she became more aware, she realized that the shapes were in fact the Greybeards. All four of the Greybeards were there, staring at her from a safe respectful distance.

"Dovahkiin, it appears that you are in an…interesting situation," Arngeir said eventually, his voice as calm and even as ever. The odd rumbling started again and Faelin quickly realized where it was coming from. It was from the other Greybeards, who appeared to be amused with her situation.

"I…I made a foolish error…" she started.

"We can see, Dovahkiin. We were concerned when you did not return from your climb and thought you might have fallen. It appears not," Arngeir replied. Faelin thought of her flame atronach, who had stupidly jumped off the cliff for some insane reason, and tried not to laugh. There was no reason for her day to get any worse.

"I do not wish to wake Paarthurnax…but I have been here all day. Can you please help me," Faelin said quietly, feeling more and more foolish. Arngeir nodded and looked towards Paarthurnax.

"Paarthurnax, I believe she has learned her lesson. You no longer need to act as if you were asleep," Faelin froze in surprise, shocked that he was waking up the older dragon and confused. Then she felt and heard the rumbling that came from Paarthurnax chuckling in amusement and the wing swept away. She fell down onto the snow, her legs unready for the drop and failing underneath her. She collapsed in the snow, which felt horribly cold after being held against Paarthurnax for the entire day. Paarthurnax continued to laugh as he shook himself over and climbed back onto his perch on the old word wall.

"Mal Dovahkiin, even you should know not to disturb a dova in praan…rest," Paarthurnax said, chastising Faelin in an unfortunately amused voice.

"You…you were never asleep…?" Faelin said quietly, feeling small and stupid under the eyes of the large dragon. Paarthurnax chuckled.

"Dozed, perhaps, but never truly asleep. When you approached so carelessly, I admit I was curious to see what you were attempting to accomplish. Had you foolishly tried to kill me, you would have been Daanik….doomed," Paarthurnax clarified, the amusement never leaving his voice as he spoke. Faelin flushed angrily, embarrassed and mortified that the elder dragon was not asleep like she had imagined.

"I am sorry…I did not mean any harm. I just wanted to know what a living dragon felt like," she mumbled.

"Mal Dovahkiin, you could have simply asked," Paarthurnax replied. Faelin blushed angrily and bit her lip, not wanting to say anything in response. Paarthurnax chuckled before stretching down and nudging her up to her feet.

"Praan, Dovahkiin. I must meditate in peace. Arngeir, please help the Dovahkiin recover after our lesson, I could hear her stomach so easily she might eat as much as a dovah can," Paarthurnax said as he pulled back. Faelin grumbled in annoyance as Borri and Wulfgar approached, helping her in case she stumbled. She doubted that he could have heard her stomach and simply guessed, but it was hard to tell with Paarthurnax.

"Goodbye Paarthurnax, and I apologize for disturbing you," Faelin muttered as the Greybeards helped her leave.

"Su'um ahrk morah," Paarthurnax called out as he watched them leave. Once they were out of his sight, he chuckled again and settled down for meditation. This time, he hoped, no one else planned to come up and try to pet him.


End file.
